Lake County

Deputies: Man accused of killing partner, stepson; raping young woman in Lake County

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A man is accused of killing his partner and his stepson, and raping a young woman over the span of two days at a Lake County campground.

Deputies said Justin Lamar Jones killed his partner with a “mini sledgehammer” on Tuesday night.

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“It appears the first victim, who he refers to as his wife, his significant other, there was an argument and somehow it turned into something violent and that’s when he killed her with what is described as a mini sledgehammer,” said Lt. Fred Jones with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Then when her 17-year-old son, Ty Finister, found out his mother had been murdered, deputies said he returned to the Thousand Trails Resort on Wednesday where he was held down and also beaten to death with a hammer.

Read: Man charged in connection with Clermont double homicide

“Brutal” and “bloody” are the words deputies used to describe what they saw at the Thousand Trails Resort when they arrived.

“You know in 25 years of doing this right here, this is probably one of the worst,” Lt. Fred Jones said.

Read: Woman escaping sexual attack leads police to double homicide in Clermont, deputies say

Deputies said the young woman who survived tried to stop Jones from killing Finister. But investigators said Jones tied her up, put tape over her mouth and eyes and then raped her for what deputies believe could have been several hours before she was able to escape.

Jones was later spotted in a Publix parking lot off Highway 27 about 10 miles from the resort. Deputies said he tried to run but was quickly captured by investigators.

Deputies said Jones confessed to the crimes.

Photos: Woman escaping sexual attack leads police to double homicide in Clermont, deputies say

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.